Magic Power Digital Reference Power Cable
DarqueKnight
Posts: 6,765
The tweaking never ends does it?
I purchased a couple of six foot lengths of the Signal Cable (www.signalcable.com) Magic Power Digital Reference power cables to use with the CD player in my two-channel rig and the DVD player in my home theater rig.
Case One: Magic Power Digital Reference and Adcom GCD 750 CD/HDCD player
The Digital Reference cable replaced the CD player's stock three conductor 14 AWG IEC cord. I wasn't too happy about what I heard upon turing on my CD player after installing the Digital Reference cable. Bass was muddy, the player seemed to play "slower", and there was a "glaze" over the highs.
I thought maybe the disc was dirty or (choke) I was experiencing some malfunction with my CD player. I reinstalled the stock cord and everything was back to normal. The receipt said that the cable typically requires 50 hours of burn in to sound best.
I then went on to......
Case Two: Magic Power Digital Reference and Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD/CD/SACD player
I replaced the DVD player's stock three conductor 14 AWG IEC cord and held my breath as I put in a CD. There was no drama or disappointment this time. The increase in bass slam was immediately apparent and was the most noticeable improvement. Maybe someone played with this cable a while at the factory and broke it in. The noise floor was also lowered. On several CDs made from analog tape sources, the tape noise (hiss) was more apparent.
With DVD movies, dialog was crisper and clearer. In this case the cable delivered on its marketing promises. I thought about taking the Digital Reference cable from the HT and putting it in the two channel system to hear how it sounded. Then again, I didn't want to go behind my HT system again.
I decided to leave the two channel system playing while I ran some errands for a few hours. Even if I had not needed to leave the house, I would have done so anyway because I could not stand the sound of my CD player with that cable. I was gone for a little over three hours, which brings me to......
Case One Revisited: Magic Power Digital Reference and Adcom GCD 750 CD/HDCD player
As soon as I walked through the door, even from two rooms away, I could tell that the high frequency glaze was GONE. The Digital Reference power cord did not make a "night and day" difference in the CD (or the DVD) player like the Magic Power cord made in my power amps, but the improvements were substantial: lower noise floor, more clarity, more bass slam, more of everything they promised on the Signal Cable website.:)
This cable is small in diameter but it is very stiff. It presented a bit of a challenge to manage it properly in my equipment racks, but I got it under control.
Specs:
12 AWG 3 conductor twisted design
High purity stranded copper for maximum conductivity
Copper braid + foil double shield
Teflon insulation + Teflon outer jacket
UL listed and CSA certified
Voltage rating: 300 volts
Max. Amps @ 120V: 30A
Cost: $87 for a six foot length
Next on my tweak agenda: replacing the captive power cords of my Adcom GFA-565 mono block amps with IEC sockets and Magic Power cords.:cool:
I purchased a couple of six foot lengths of the Signal Cable (www.signalcable.com) Magic Power Digital Reference power cables to use with the CD player in my two-channel rig and the DVD player in my home theater rig.
Case One: Magic Power Digital Reference and Adcom GCD 750 CD/HDCD player
The Digital Reference cable replaced the CD player's stock three conductor 14 AWG IEC cord. I wasn't too happy about what I heard upon turing on my CD player after installing the Digital Reference cable. Bass was muddy, the player seemed to play "slower", and there was a "glaze" over the highs.
I thought maybe the disc was dirty or (choke) I was experiencing some malfunction with my CD player. I reinstalled the stock cord and everything was back to normal. The receipt said that the cable typically requires 50 hours of burn in to sound best.
I then went on to......
Case Two: Magic Power Digital Reference and Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD/CD/SACD player
I replaced the DVD player's stock three conductor 14 AWG IEC cord and held my breath as I put in a CD. There was no drama or disappointment this time. The increase in bass slam was immediately apparent and was the most noticeable improvement. Maybe someone played with this cable a while at the factory and broke it in. The noise floor was also lowered. On several CDs made from analog tape sources, the tape noise (hiss) was more apparent.
With DVD movies, dialog was crisper and clearer. In this case the cable delivered on its marketing promises. I thought about taking the Digital Reference cable from the HT and putting it in the two channel system to hear how it sounded. Then again, I didn't want to go behind my HT system again.
I decided to leave the two channel system playing while I ran some errands for a few hours. Even if I had not needed to leave the house, I would have done so anyway because I could not stand the sound of my CD player with that cable. I was gone for a little over three hours, which brings me to......
Case One Revisited: Magic Power Digital Reference and Adcom GCD 750 CD/HDCD player
As soon as I walked through the door, even from two rooms away, I could tell that the high frequency glaze was GONE. The Digital Reference power cord did not make a "night and day" difference in the CD (or the DVD) player like the Magic Power cord made in my power amps, but the improvements were substantial: lower noise floor, more clarity, more bass slam, more of everything they promised on the Signal Cable website.:)
This cable is small in diameter but it is very stiff. It presented a bit of a challenge to manage it properly in my equipment racks, but I got it under control.
Specs:
12 AWG 3 conductor twisted design
High purity stranded copper for maximum conductivity
Copper braid + foil double shield
Teflon insulation + Teflon outer jacket
UL listed and CSA certified
Voltage rating: 300 volts
Max. Amps @ 120V: 30A
Cost: $87 for a six foot length
Next on my tweak agenda: replacing the captive power cords of my Adcom GFA-565 mono block amps with IEC sockets and Magic Power cords.:cool:
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
Post edited by DarqueKnight on
Comments
-
Raife, good read...as usual. Have you considered trying a PS Audio Statement pc? One meter used runs about $250.00 or so, but IMO are well worth the cash. Make sure it's got the removable ground pin because the earlier cords did not have the death grip IEC end as the newer version (w/RGP) does.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Jesse, thanks for the tip. I'll look into it.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
-
BTW, it's 6 AWG!Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk
